As told to Amitabha Choudhury, described in his book, Aamar Bondhu Suchitra Sen, Suchitra’s own words have been recently published in the Times of India. Excerpts are presented here for the readers of Dhaka Tribune:
I’m obstinate. I never asked for help from anyone. Acting in the film Bhagaban Sri Krishna Chaitanya (1953) changed my life. I played the role of Bishnupriya. Since then, I’ve been fearless. Someone drives me from within. I just love to spend time with myself.
I’ve never accepted any proposal for acting since I decided to retire. I spend the morning watching the sky, the trees and the flowers in the garden. In the evening I watch the twilight sky, and I like talking to my granddaughters whenever they visit.
I had a strong desire to act in the role of Damini in Rabindranath Tagore’s Chaturanga but it never happened. I’m really fond of this novel. Of all the Tagore novels, I like this one the most.
I truly loved acting in Neelachale Mahaprabhu, opposite Basanta Choudhury. I also liked acting in Harano Sur, Uttar Falguni and Saptapadi, opposite Uttam Kumar, and Saat Pakey Bandha opposite Soumitra Chatterjee.
I was paired with Uttam Kumar in so many films, and yet, I told my producers to keep my name ahead of the actor in the advertisements. I had a good friendship with Uttam Kumar, a deep one.
Among actors, I respect Dilip Kumar the most. I acted opposite him in in Devdas. A great actor! I had a good friendship with Sanjeev Kumar, who was a wonderful person. And he was a good actor as well. He used to contact me every time he visited Kolkata and came to my place.
I was quite close to Kanan Devi. She helped me in my bad times. During the time of my marital discord, I left home and lived at her place for some time.
In men, I don’t look for beauty. I look for intelligence and sharp conversations. I refused Raj Kapoor’s offer almost immediately. He came to my residence offering a lead role and, as I took my seat, he suddenly sat near my foot and offered me a
bouquet of roses while offering the role. I rejected the offer. I did not like his personality. The way he behaved – sitting near my foot – did not befit a man.
I refused to work with Satyajit Ray for a different reason. He wanted me to act exclusively for his film, Devi Chaudhurani. But I had two other commitments that time and I could not have refused people who made me Suchitra Sen. I assured him that I would give my best in his film, too, but he did not agree. So, I said no to Ray. Why should I agree to such a proposal?
God has given me everything and I do not desire anything else. He gave me everything that I wanted. But now, I do not find interest in anything at all. I’m completely indifferent about liking or disliking, getting or not getting anything.
I do not care about anything written or discussed about me in the media. I don’t read them at all.